Collar-button.



No. 653,895. Patented July I7, |900.-

F. A. BALLou.

GOLLAR BUTTON (Application led Jan. 29, 1900.)

' No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet l,

Patented July I7, |900.

F. A. BALLOU.

COLLAR BUTTUN.

(Application filedl Jan. 29, 1900.)

2 Sheois;8heef 2l (No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK A. BALLOU, OF PROVIDENCE,.RHODE ISLAND.

COLLAR-BUTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,895, dated July 17,1900. Application lecl January 29,1900. Serial No. 3,090. (No model.) l

To a/ZZ whom. it may concern:

Beit knownthat I, FREDERICK A. BALLOU, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and',

State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Collar-Buttons, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Like letters indicate like parts.

Figure l is a diametrical section of a seamless gold-tilled ball boredand counterbored for use in the manufacture of my improvedcollar-button. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the post andshoe of said collarbutton. Fig. 3 shows in central section said postand'shoe in combination with said ball before the ball has been unitedwith the post. Fig. et is a front elevation of the drill for making thebore and counterbore in said ball. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of thesame. Fig. 6 is a top plan of the die, in which the ball is united tothe post, said die being shown as open. Fig. 7 is a top plan of said dieas seen when closed. Fig. 8 is a section of said die on line w o: ofFig. 7. Fig. 9 is the same as Fig. 8, with the post and shank therein inposition for the operation. Fig. lO is a view, partly in side elevationand partly in central longitudinal section, of the plunger used incombination, with said die. Fig. ll illustrates the operation of unitingthe ball of my improved collar-button with the post and shoe thereof.Fig. 12 shows the parts in position at the close of the operation. Fig.18 shows in elevation myirn proved collar-button when completed.

My invention relates to collar-buttons made of three pieces and unitedwithout the use of solder; and it consists of the novel construction andcombination of the several elements hereinafter particularly describedand as specifically set forth in the claim.

In the manufacture of my improved button I take a seamless gold-filledball A, as shown in Fig. l, consisting of a comparatively-thick buthollow body portion o, of base metal, and a gold covering-plate 7J, ofusual construction. In this ball I make a radially-directed bore c andcounterbore (l, as seen in Fig. 1, using for this purpose the drill B,(shown enlarged in Figs. 4 and 5,) which drill consists of a shank e,flattened broad blade f, (somewhat beveled on two opposite sides, asindicated at 9,) and a flattened narrow cutter h, sharpened t-o a point.Y and the outer end of the bladefis the shoulder 'L' on two oppositesides, as fully illus; trated in Figs. 4 and 5.

In drilling the bore and counterbore c d in the ball A by the use of thetool B said ball is held in any proper vise or support and the drill isrotated under pressure, as usual; but owing to the beveled edges g ofsaid drill the metal is formed into an outwardly-extending ange, barb,or iin (shown in Figs. 1 and 3 at rm) which consists entirely of thegold plate b, brought to asharp edge.

In Fig. 2 are shown in central longitudinal section the post C and theshoe D, united thereto, as usual. The upper end of the post C, as shownat n in Figs. 2 and 5, is formed int-o a Haring or bell shape. The postis made of gold-plated stock, the base metal being indicated as j andthe gold covering-plate as k.

In uniting the ball A to the post C of the collar-button I use the dieshown in Fig. 6 and the plunger shown in Fig. l0. The die has the bodyportion E, with a central circular aperture o. A stop-pin p projectsfrom the upper side at the median line. Two dieplates F and G arepivotally mounted on screws q r, which pass through them into the body Eof the die, and they are movable on said screws from the position shownin Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 7. The dieplates F and G havethe semicircular fiarA ing edges s s', the vertical sides u u', the

Between the inner end of the cutter h.

seinicircular grooves or channels o o', thev semicircular annular lips ww', and the anL nular bottom surface y y. The edge of the die-plate Ghas a portion thereof beveled, as seen at a. The handle H is pivoted att to the die-plate F. Said handle has the locking-pin h. The die-platesF and Gr have, respectively, the sockets f and g', which when the saiddie-plates are closed, as shown in Fig. '7, receive the stop-pin p. Thedie-plates F and G are locked in place by the friction of thelocking-pin h against the beveled edge e of the die-plate G.

In Fig. S I show in cross-section the dies- IOC surface formed by theclosure of the die-plates F and G, together with the central Haringaperture fm' between them.

The iiaring bell-shaped end n of the post C is placed in the centralsemitubular opening of one of the die-plates when the parts are in theopen position shown in Fig. 6,' and then the other of the die-plates isswung around into the closed position shown in Fig. 7 and locked inposition, whereupon the post C is supported in the closed die in themanner illustrated in Fig. 9. The ball A is then placed on the openiiaring end of the post C, as seen in Fig. ll, the upper end of the postbeing parallel with, but a short distance below, the annular surface y yof thedies and the annular barb m of said ball entering the annular'groove or channel o Q1 in said closed die and shutting over said end ofthe post C, as sh'own in Figs. 3 and ll. The plunger I, having in itsend a hemispherical socket n', comes down forcibly upon the ball A,whose upper half lits in said socket n', and this downward pressure ofthe plunger upon the ball seats the end of the post C solidly againstthe bottom of the counterbore d and also causes the barb m of the ballto bend inwardly and upon the inclined surface of the annular lip w ywof the annular groove or channel u -U of the die to close in upon andcome into snug forcible contact with the bell-shaped end of the post Cand then to further bind said barb m toward the center of the ball untilwhen the end fn of the post C cornes in forcible contact with the bottomof the counterbore d of the ball A the `Whole of said barb m has beenbent up under the iiaring end of the post C with the sharp edge of saidbarb directed inwardly, thus uniting the ball to the post.A In thismanner the ball is firmly secured to the post without the use of solderand the base metal is wholly concealed.

In the manufacture of collar-buttons of solid gold the formation of thebarb m may, however, be dispensed with, and the sharp circular edge ofthe counterbore is closed upon the post by the action of the die, asalready described.

In the drawings the figures are all exaggerated in size, (except thedies, Figs. 6 and 7,) so as to more clearly present the novel featuresof the construction, and the drill and plun gers are shown enlarged forthe same purpose, especially the drill B, in order to better exhibit theclearance-bevel g thereon.

Instead of a spherical ball any ornamental .head or knob can be used andconnected with the post in like manner.

I claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent- An improved collar-button, consisting of the head or ball A ofbase metal, having an inclosing gold plate or covering b, and the postC, composed of an inner plate of base metal and an outer gold plate orcovering; said head or ball A being provided with the y counterbored forthe reception of the flaring end n of the post C which4 is held thereinby the overlapping edges m of the covering Z) of the head A,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.Y

' FREDERICK A. BALLOU. lVitnesses:

WARREN R. PERCE, HOWARD A. LAMPREY.

